SEC Expansion Coming Sooner? Playoffs Too

[toddc 13,197]

Report: Big 12 negotiations open door for early Texas, Oklahoma exit to SEC

Griffin McVeigh

Tim Warner/Getty Images

Oklahoma and Texas are slated to leave the Big 12 for the SEC by the 2025 season, at least for now. Per a report, the two programs could be looking to leave the conference sooner thanks to the Big 12 starting television rights negotiations early with ESPN and Fox.

According to Dennis Dobbs of CBS Sports, the Big 12’s talks have led the Longhorns and Sooners to have “active discussions” regarding their departure. Dobbs says it’s a “consequence” of the negotiations starting early.

“As a consequence of @Big12Conferencestarting negotiations early with rightsholders sources tell CBS Sports there are now active discussions regarding Texas and Oklahoma leaving early for the SEC,” Dobbs said.

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If Oklahoma and Texas are to leave early, the 2023 season would be the earliest. Both are locked into the Big 12 this year with kickoff just a few weeks away. Things can develop quickly in the offseason though, as we have seen with all of conference realignment. 

The Big 12 will be bringing four new members into their conference for the 2023 season as well. Both departing schools could want to jump ship before their arrival. Especially if new television deals are being worked out with ESPN and Fox.

Early SEC move possible due to Big 12 discussions to get advantage over Pac-12

The Big 12 and its media partners have agreed to enter into early contract discussions regarding the league’s next television deal. This was initially reported by ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

The expectation is that negotiations will begin between the Big 12, ESPN, and Fox shortly. That is approximately a year and a half before negotiations were scheduled to begin. It also comes as the conference is going through changes to its membership and welcomes a new commissioner in Brett Yormark.

The official announcement came from the Big 12 shortly after the move was initially reported.

“It is an exciting time for college athletics and given the changing landscape we welcome the opportunity to engage with our partners to determine if an early extension is in the best interest of all parties,” Brett Yormark said in a statement.  “The Big 12 has enjoyed a fantastic relationship with its multi-media rights holders, and I look forward to having these conversations.”

This move to negotiate is also expected to weaken the PAC-12’s advantage, which the conference had recently gained by entering into early media deal negotiations itself.

Edited September 1, 2022 by toddc

[TigerPAC 1,034]

so if THAT does happen, what does it do (and how much chaos ensues) to current OOC schedules planned for 2023 and years just beyond?  who gets the joy of fixing all of that?  

---from an old timer longing for the years of 10 team SEC

[SLAG-91 1,620]

4 hours ago, TigerPAC said:

so if THAT does happen, what does it do (and how much chaos ensues) to current OOC schedules planned for 2023 and years just beyond?  who gets the joy of fixing all of that?  

---from an old timer longing for the years of 10 team SEC

I resemble that old timer remark, and yeah, depending on the conference schedule format (8 or 9 games), there will be varying degrees of schedule destruction.  If Texas and OU join in '23, then the Alabama-Texas and Oklahoma-Georgia games that are scheduled for next year aren't nonconference any longer.  

[AUwent 3,845]

Teams are going to want home P5 OOC games on years where they have just four home conference games. So things are going to get messy there regardless.

Edited August 31, 2022 by AUwent

[NoALtiger 4,068]

What a mess. 

[Tony4AU 386]

Curious.  What 8 teams would you all want SEC to add?? Seems Super Conferences headed to 24 teams.  

[DAG 35,153]

About freaking time. 

[toddc 13,197]

Playoff expansion too!

College Football Playoff expansion talks reignite: Friday meeting could create larger field as soon as 2024

By Dennis Dodd

 

44 mins ago•3 min read

USATSI

Frustrated with the leadership of FBS commissioners, the College Football Playoff Board of Managers will meet Friday with a goal of adopting an expanded playoff bracket as soon as the 2024 season, CBS Sports has learned. The bracket would likely expand to 12 teams under the leading proposal, which was the original concept put in front of stakeholders from the CFP working group in June 2021.

The vote must be unanimous by the 11 members of the board. If enacted, expansion would likely triple access to the playoff from the current four teams. The 11-member board includes university CEOs representing each of the 10 FBS conferences, plus Notre Dame president John Jenkins. Mississippi State president Mark Keenum told ESPN earlier this year that presidential intervention could come as soon as next summer.

Apparently, the timeline has been moved up. 

The commissioners failed in their attempt to reach consensus on a long, drawn-out process that extended through 2020 and into February 2022. That's when the CFP officially announced expansion talks were dead. The presumption then was that playoff expansion would have to wait until at least 2026 when the current deal expires with ESPN.

There is still widespread support for CFP media rights to go out to multiple bidders. If expansion is instituted in 2024, ESPN would still have the rights to all the games for the final two years of a 12-year deal. Sports Illustrated first reported the approaching CFP meeting. 

If expansion is approved Friday, the playoff would move to at least 12 teams, according to one person participating in the process. However, that source left the door open for a 16-team playoff to be considered by the body.

A 12-team playoff has been valued at $1.2 billion annually, up from the current $600 million.

A subcommittee of commissioners developed a 12-team bracket that was favorably received in June 2021. The model included six automatic qualifiers -- the six highest-ranked conference champions -- and six at-large teams. That would likely be the format adopted if expansion settles on 12 teams.  Such a bracket could be adopted as a short-term placeholder with future expansion to 16 teams if the board agrees to increase the field, sources said. 

Asked if the presidents can achieve the required unanimous vote, a person familiar with process said, "I don't think we have any choice."

"We realized we've lost control the narrative as presidents," the person continued. "We're actually going to proceed with certain parameters ourselves." 

The board would only approve expansion as a concept. It would then be up to the commissioners that comprise the CFP Management Committee to oversee implementation. One of the key questions remaining is whether the CFP can find enough game sites (possibly on campus for early-round games) and put in place logistics such as as hotel rooms, practice facilities, etc. in a short time period. While those remain large hurdles, several sources believe all could be cleared with 28 months to go until the first expanded playoff. 

"My response in general is, if people are willing [to do it], anything can happen," said Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson. 

Thompson was one of the original four stakeholders part of that working group to model the 12-team bracket along with Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and former Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby.

During a meeting the day of the CFP National Championship on Jan. 10, the commissioners of the ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12 voted against expansion, thus scuttling the idea. The final total was 8-3 in support of expansion, but again, a unanimous vote was required. A source in the room said the Board of Managers largely expected to rubber stamp the commissioners' vote that day but were surprised by the number of issues still being worked through. 

A presidential source expressed frustration over not getting the "response" out of the commissioners that was needed to move expansion forward. Since the formal process for expansion started in 2019, four of the 10 FBS commissioners have changed -- Brett Yormark (Big 12), Kevin Warren (Big Ten), George Kliavkoff (Pac-12) and Jim Phillips (ACC). 

The CFP recently announced the sites for the 2025 (Atlanta) and 2025 (South Florida) championship games. Those sites will not change if expansion is adopted.

Edited September 1, 2022 by toddc

[AuburnEagle79 2,212]

We desperately need this expansion. If Saban hangs around and Kirby stays on his trajectory, being the top team in the regular season will be tough given our current state.

[TigerPAC 1,034]

This is very slippery slope to me.  Expand CFP and more conference games will lead to less G5 OOC games, in turn leaving those smaller schools less $ and programs start shutting down. 

Unless they revert back to tiers of football like it used to be

[WDE_OxPx_2010 5,483]

6 minutes ago, AuburnEagle79 said:

We desperately need this expansion. If Saban hangs around and Kirby stays on his trajectory, being the top team in the regular season will be tough given our current state.

Expanding the field gives Alabama AND Georgia the chance to snake their way in every year.  Can you imagine them going head to head annually for the next 5-10?

[AuburnEagle79 2,212]

4 minutes ago, WDE_OxPx_2010 said:

Expanding the field gives Alabama AND Georgia the chance to snake their way in every year.  Can you imagine them going head to head annually for the next 5-10?

I don't really see them having to worry about sneaking in at this pace. They're proven to be the best time and time again. They are going to challenge for top 4 regardless.

We need 8-12 to have a consistent chance. Even if we hire the next Nick Saban, we'd be competing with Saban and Diet Saban every single year. No guarantee we'd be top 4. 

[WDE_OxPx_2010 5,483]

2 minutes ago, AuburnEagle79 said:

I don't really see them having to worry about sneaking in at this pace. They're proven to be the best time and time again. They are going to challenge for top 4 regardless.

We need 8-12 to have a consistent chance. Even if we hire the next Nick Saban, we'd be competing with Saban and Diet Saban every single year. No guarantee we'd be top 4. 

I'll disagree- the more diluted the field the better Bamas/UGAs chances are. 

[AuburnEagle79 2,212]

14 minutes ago, WDE_OxPx_2010 said:

I'll disagree- the more diluted the field the better Bamas/UGAs chances are. 

Oh I agree that it's more likely that they are in just based on statistics. 

I just think it's worth it to give us a better chance, as right now it's pretty low. 

Another thought: What does another Bama championship do to us that the last 6 haven't already? 

The Georgia situation is the killer. 

[DAG 35,153]

1 hour ago, toddc said:

A 12-team playoff has been valued at $1.2 billion annually, up from the current $600 million.

 

here it is

[autigeremt 7,251]

10 hours ago, DAG said:

here it is

Follow the $$$$. I'm actually for it compared to the current model. Conference Champions should have a shot at this no matter how they got there. It's time for Div 1 college football to join the rest of the world.